The Real Problem Between Students and Residents

The real problem between the Student Community and permanent College Park residents is 5%.

I would be willing to bet my bottom dollar that 95% of the students who come here to study are good students, neighbors and people who respect their neighbors and neighborhood as a whole.

I would also be willing to bet that 95% of the residents of College Park are honest, hard working good people that have no problem with the student body as a whole.

So the problem is the 5% on both sides.

5% of the students are probably binge drinking knuckleheads that assume any front yard is the best place to deposit empty Red Solo cups and beer bottles while making enough noise to wake the dead en-route to the "We Lost to [Insert ACC Rival Name Here] Riot" on Route 1 to burn the new frat pledge's mattress and swing from street signs after leaving their roof top lawn chairs where they watched the game.

5% of the residents are going to make life hell for any student who moves in to their neighborhood. They will always lack any understanding no matter how good their student neighbor is because they dislike college students in general. Author's Note - I wish I could graphically describe these people as I did binge drinking knuckleheads above, but the fact is these people are just dull when compared to drunk knuckleheads.

The big problem here is neither of these 5% groups will EVER get it. However, both groups are vocal, will get lots of attention and generally irritate everyone around them.

My Dad always told me "You can't fix stupid"... he was right. The University can print pamphlets and develop policies until there are no more trees to make the paper to print them on and it will not stop the knuckleheads who feel entitled to be jerks. The University cannot and should not have to teach personal responsibility to students who have no willingness to learn it. We can all talk about trying to work together and understand where each other is coming from but it will not stop the grouchy neighbor who hates "All these darn kids" that are ruining "THEIR neighborhood" from making everyone around them miserable.

The City Council cannot nor should they even try to legislate understanding and tolerance to those who don't wish to practice it. No law, policy, guideline or good idea will work when ignorant people on both sides choose not to follow it.

Until the ignorant knuckleheads on both sides wise up or move out the 95% of us that remain may just be stuck in the middle together.